Are you a parent to a kid struggling with drug addiction? Do you sometimes feel like you are at a dead end when you see your child losing himself in front of your eyes? Drug addiction is a challenging and complex issue that affects not only the individual struggling with substance abuse but also their entire support system, including family and friends. And when it comes to sons, parents often feel more helpless, primarily because of the nature of young boys.
They don’t understand the gravity of the situation, wouldn’t let you help them, and wouldn’t focus on themselves either. It is very natural for one to feel hopeless for their drug-addicted son, but if you’ve encountered any such situation, there’s a lot you can do to help your son pave his way out of drug addiction. Today’s blog post is focused on telling you a few of the many ways you can help your drug-addicted son. Come, let’s help your son get back to life.
1. Get Back to Learning
If your son is struggling with drug addiction, you need to educate yourself about the adversity of the matter (and no, you don’t already know everything). Now, this doesn’t mean you get back to school or do a course; that’ll take way too long.
Educating yourself on drug addiction includes everything like basic information about drug addiction, how your drug-addicted son must have developed it, how far your son has gone, what are his symptoms, what are the recent developments in this area of study, and the possible treatment options, along with the estimated costs for each. Remember, knowledge and information are your biggest weapons when fighting drug addictions, the more advanced your weapons, the more your chances of winning.
2. Try to Understand Your Son’s Position
The last thing your son wants you to be at this time is to be judgemental. Young people, especially teens and teen boys, to be more specific, fall in and out of drug addiction very quickly. And if you yell at your drug-addicted son in this condition, you’ll only worsen the situation.
Try to understand that what happened is not your son’s fault. Let bygones be bygones and focus on how you can save your son’s future. Your son needs your love and support more than ever now, and you must not let your rage win this time.
3. Narrate Them Success Stories
Motivation wasn’t important until your son graduated. A person needs motivation from time to time in his life, and drug addicts need it more than ever because most of them have lost their will to live. A dose of motivation at this time can certainly help a lot more than you think, so narrate some drug rehab success stories to them and let them know that where there is a will, there is a way.
Tell your drug-addicted son how famous celebs like Demi Lovato, Adele, Robert Downie Jr, Daniel Radcliffe, and Taylor Swift overcame their addiction even when they thought life was over for them. And look at them now; they’re rich, famous, happy, and most importantly, healed.
4. Find Similar People
Kids these days relate to celebrities a lot, but if your son is not one of them, there’s another thing you can do. Look for people around you who were once struggling with drug addiction but are now sane and sound. You can find these people online, too, but it’s better if they are located somewhere around you so that you can get your son to meet them in person.
Talking out about his feelings and thoughts with a like-minded person may be easier for your drug-addicted son, and he can also learn from the other person’s experience. Support groups for drug rehabilitation are also a recommended option for addicts so that they get out of their self-established boundaries and heal better.
5. Promote Healthy Life Choices
Remember how when your son was just a kid, you wouldn’t let him eat too many candies or get too much screen time and pull him out of his bed for school even when he said no? You’re his parents, and you knew you could. Well, you still can, and you must pull your son towards healthy changes by hook or by crook.
Encourage your drug-addicted son to get some new and productive hobbies, go out for a walk in nature, make new friends, or get some exercise; the list is endless. He just needs to start somewhere, no matter how small the step is.
6. Don’t Get Fooled
Another important thing here is that sons can make a fool out of their parents very easily (don’t jump to conclusions yet; hear us out). If your son is of age, he can earn for himself, and he must do so.
You might want to help your drug-addicted son financially just because he is struggling, but this will only add to his misery because he wouldn’t be worried about where he is going to get his necessities from. Don’t let your love blind you and put some responsibility on your son; this is for his own betterment.
7. Stay Firm
Now, this is a bitter truth, but getting rid of drug addiction is tiring. Your drug-addicted son will want to drop out of his treatment, and there might be multiple relapses. He will refuse to see the truth and might as well blame you for his condition sometimes. What do you do in such times? You stay firm, and you don’t give up. This is the least you can do as a parent.
8. Set Healthy Boundaries (Drug-Addicted Son)
While it’s important to offer support, setting clear and healthy boundaries is equally essential. No matter how much you love your son, you must admit that you have a life of your own. Sooner or later, your drug-addicted son must take responsibility for his actions. So, set clear boundaries, clearly state to your son what is acceptable and what is not, and keep him accountable if you want your son to live a good life.
Hang On There!
When any of one’s children is undergoing such a rough phase in their life, it’s not easy for parents to just sit and watch. But the responsibilities of the parents of a drug-addicted son increase because you are going to motivate him, you will provide him the love he needs, and you will bring him back to life. You must always be there for them, even when they don’t want you around and keep pushing you away.
If you feel like the road to rehabilitation is way too bumpy, well, this is life, and in life, nothing comes easy. Only if you and your son hang in there for a little longer this dark chapter of your life called drug addiction will be over faster than you know. And after every storm, the sun shines bright.
